


What Ifs

by DanniAuttumns



Category: Homestuck
Genre: I think about 1/3 of this fic is thinking about kissing, M/M, Sappy, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, another one of those in the nebulous space between the end of Meat, davekat - Freeform, epilogue compliant, like a lot, romantic dinner, thinking about kissing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-06
Updated: 2019-12-06
Packaged: 2021-02-27 01:15:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,305
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21689059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DanniAuttumns/pseuds/DanniAuttumns
Summary: Another one of my NaNo prompts, though his one I don't think I followed the prompt very well lol that davekat bug hit me, my dudes.Dave and Karkat love each other. And that's all there really is to say on the matter.
Relationships: Dave Strider/Karkat Vantas
Comments: 6
Kudos: 66





	What Ifs

Both Karkat and Dave were incredibly trigger shy about the relationship. It should have surprised Dave, given how Karkat loved romance so much, all the romance, so very much romance, but it didn’t translate to his own romantic life.

And Dave…

There was a lot of stuff Dave was still unpacking in the _Heart_ department.

It should have felt different, being in a relationship, but it didn’t feel like it. They were still bros, now there was just the possibility of kissing involved.

And Karkat didn’t want to label whatever it was they were doing.

That probably bothered Dave the most.

Were they boyfriends? Matespirits? He didn’t think they were Kismesis levels of hate, no matter how much they bickered or ribbed each other. Honestly, they felt a lot like moirails.

Moirails _plus_.

And Karkat was just _okay_ with that.

Dave tried not to worry about it and tried not to let it bother him that it made sense.

This wasn’t a troll on troll romance or a human on human romance. This was something else, something _new_.

He wished he could talk to Rose about it, he should have when she was here, but he didn’t want to jump that train into questioning if you’re in love with your best friend/roommate cliché.

Thinking about that first kiss in their living room still made Dave feel all tingly all over.

He had to stop himself from going back and watching it over and over, as much as he wanted to. Moments like that were only meant to be experienced once.

He really understood all those sappy love songs now, no matter how he’d felt about Terezi or Jade or even John, this was…

Wow, he was _so_ fucking gay.

He covered his face with his pillow, trying to crush the sappy romantical thoughts and feelings out of himself enough to get up and go see his boyfriend.

He had a _boyfriend_. _Karkat_ was his _boyfriend_. It was still such a wild thought.

How on earth had they not just… kissed each other all the time during all the time they lived together.

Literally everyday since John turned 13, he could have been kissing Karkat.

Well… not every day, he didn’t even admit to himself he liked dudes until like a year and a half into the meteor journey.

Admitting he liked Karkat…

To be completely fair, it was probably for the best this way. They both could have said something, but they didn’t. It was fine.

He couldn’t think of any way he’d rather have done it if he was honest with himself, being best friends and living with a guy, seeing him grow into the troll man he was now, Karkat seeing what human puberty was like and still being okay with kissing him.

Dave got out of bed. He wouldn’t get anything done if he kept thinking about kissing Karkat, he could just… do that now, pretty much whenever he wanted.

He veered into the shower instead of going to Karkat’s room, getting himself cleaned up before any kissing could go down.

\---

As much as Dave thought about kissing Karkat, he didn’t really do it as much. Karkat purred like a kitten when he did, but there were other ways he thought he liked touching him more.

And no, not like _that_ , you perverts.

Once in a while, they’d lace their fingers together on the couch, both of them turning shades of red at the touch.

Once in a while, Dave would lay down on Karkat’s lap, and Karkat would run his fingers through his hair. No one with nails that sharp had any business petting him right to sleep.

Once, Dave asked to climb in the recoupricoon with Karkat, and besides the sticky mess it made and how it stuck to Dave’s skin, he got to spend the whole night with arms wrapped around him.

More often, Karkat would share his bed, their legs tangled together. Karkat’s hair was so delightfully fluffy in the morning when he woke up.

Telling him that usually got him hissed at half-heartedly, but it was nothing a little forehead smooch couldn’t fix.

There he was, thinking about kissing Karkat again.

He could play 5 degrees of Kevin Bacon and would always somehow get back to thinking about kissing him.

Karkat was in the kitchen, eating something Dave didn’t want to identify, he could just go up there right now and kiss him.

Or, he could fall to the ground dramatically and pretend to be choking and need mouth to mouth.

That hadn’t worked the first time, but Dave was pretty sure he could get it down without Karkat bruising his ribs performing the Heimlich maneuver.

Though… Karkat’s arms around him from behind, also not a bad thought.

Dave waved sheepishly to Karkat, the troll looked distracted, but was smiling a little bit at whatever he was thinking about.

He hoped Karkat was also thinking of kissing him, that would make all this so much easier.

Karkat waved back, pointing down to the plate at Dave’s designated meal spot. Dave had been so distracted looking at him he didn’t notice the pancakes Karkat made.

“Oh man. Have I told you you’re my favorite person?” Dave asked, floating over and settling himself in the chair.

“You can afford to do it more often.” Karkat smirked.

Dave kissed Karkat’s cheek before he could talk himself out of it, and Karkat blushed like a fucking anime protagonist.

“Eat your grubcakes.” Karkat huffed, but the smile was back, and Dave was glad he was the reason for it.

\---

Neither of them were really interested in grand, romantic gestures. As much as Karkat liked them in movies, the thought of doing something like that in public was mortifying.

Dave never really considered himself good at that sort of thing anyway, but he was thinking about doing something more and more the longer they were dating.

“I should make him a mix tape.” He said to himself. And then remembered, _no, he should not do that_.

The thought of _saying what was on his mind_ in rap form? And then _giving it to Karkat???_

He was pretty sure he’d rather be incinerated than rap something that disgustingly sappy.

And yet…

God, he couldn’t believe he was considering it.

He pulled out a notebook and began writing, trying to keep his volume to a minimum.

\---

Dave had put on a suit for probably the first time since the debacle that was the campaign. He told Karkat of his intentions, going out somewhere nice to eat, in public.

And they both decided, fuck that entirely, romantic dinner at the house.

It was the best compromise he’d ever heard of in his life, but it did mean cooking a fancy meal, something they both wanted to eat and not burning it.

Dave had been getting better at cooking the longer he did the adult thing. He may have not had that much practical experience growing up, but he could follow instructions pretty well, and it didn’t take a rocket scientist to know how to boil water at medium heat.

And chopping vegetables? No one could do it better or more stoically than a Strider.

He did _not_ cry cutting onions, that was a filthy lie.

Not that there was anything wrong with crying, he cried very often and in a very emotional way, because emotions were cool and normal. Just not onion-based tears.

By the time he was done, there was spaghetti with meatballs and garlicy breadsticks for all your garlicy breadstick needs. Emergency purse not included.

“Wow.” Karkat said from the doorway, Dave had been chewing on warm, soft garlic bread and turned at the sound.

His stomach did an acrobatic fucking pirouette into the L-word zone.

And he thought he cleaned up nice, Karkat was just…

Karkat was wearing a three-piece suit of his own, but with the jacket held over his shoulder in one hand and his sleeves rolled up past his elbows.

Dave had to control himself and not toss himself onto the nicely prepared table full of food for Karkat to just take him there. They were more respectable than that.

Besides, he’d worked really hard at dinner and he was not wasting it just because Karkat was handsome. Karkat was handsome every day, spaghetti and garlic bread was not every day.

“Wow yourself.” Dave said, his voice coming out incredibly breathy.

“It looks great.” Karkat offered weakly, his eyes not on the food anymore.

It was getting harder and harder to remember why he wasn’t kissing Karkat.

Because if he started kissing him, he wouldn’t ever stop, he reminded himself, pulling out Karkat’s chair for him.

Karkat sat, looking back at Dave as he did. They both didn’t want to take their eyes off each other.

“Are those grubballs?” Karkat asked curiously, his shy smile turning into an amused on.

“Don’t say I never do anything for you, Alternia to English translators only get you so far when reading a recipe.” Dave sat down at his own chair, “I plan on pushing one over to you with my nose. It’s going to be adorable.”

Karkat snorted, Dave thought it was the cutest thing.

“If you do, you can consider your romantic aspirations for the night over right then and there. I cannot take you seriously with any sort of grubsauce on your nose.” There was a warmth to his words, like if he did it probably wouldn’t actually be game over for the night, just a time out while Karkat regretted his life choices up to this point in his life.

“You agreed to date me, these are the consequences. I make food and I say and do shit that makes no gogdamn sense.” Dave picked up a fork, rolling one of the balls over to Karkat with a grin.

Karkat grabbed his own fork, spearing the ball and smelling it, then giving a little lick.

The sight of that red tongue did things to Dave, but he did his best to focus.

Karkat’s eyes were closed, a look of bliss crossing his face as he put the ball of meat in his mouth and chewed.

“You like it?” Dave asked, picking up a breadstick and chewing it nervously.

“I don’t think I’ve had grubballs since we left Alternia. These are pretty good.” Karkat opened his eyes, then smiled at Dave. “I can’t believe you cooked this all for a date.”

Dave was grinning, launching into his adventures in pan-planetary foodstuff adventures.

Karkat listened, smiling at Dave as he talked, only occasionally interrupting to get Dave to eat as well.

\---

They were doing dishes together, both completely stuffed and happy. Dave had dessert in the oven, even though Karkat protested that he really didn’t need to.

“You got me. I’m seduced enough.” Was what Dave was pretty sure he’d been saying, but Dave wasn’t even done for the night. Food was just act 1 of his several part romantic evening plans.

Dishes drying, the smell of chocolate wafting around the house, Dave and Karkat retired temporarily to the living room, where the grand romantic gesture was planned for the evening.

He was choking and he knew it. It was too much.

He put the wrapped present down on the coffee table before he had a chance to talk himself out of it, Karkat looking at it and him curiously.

“What is that?” He asked, laughing a bit.

“I made something for you.” Dave admitted, “You better take it before I chicken out.”

Karkat lunged for it, unwrapping it and cocking his head curiously at the package.

“A CD?” He cocked an eyebrow at Dave, like ‘the fuck is this, Strider?’

“I uh… made it. It’s kind of embarrassing, you don’t have to listen to it.”

Karkat strode over to the DVD player, popping it in before Dave had a chance to properly protest.

“Before you press play-”

CDs apparently autoplayed when you put them in.

_ “Hey Karkat, I made this to sort of get my feelings out there and stuff.” _ Dave’s voice echoed through the house.

He covered his face with a pillow, face heating. He felt Karkat’s weight settle beside him as his own voice, rapping about love and wanting to spend the rest of his life with Karkat echoed around him.

Karkat was absolutely silent until the very last word.

Dave didn’t look up, too mortified at his own actions.

Thankfully, the kitchen timer went off, and Dave had the perfect excuse to go back to the kitchen and save himself from having to talk about that.

Leaping over the back of the couch, he sprinted away, getting the little ramekins of chocolate lave cake out and setting them on top of the stove.

“Dave?” Karkat asked after a moment, having apparently followed him back in.

“You don’t… have to say anything.” Dave said, not turning back to look at his boyfriend. He felt Karkat’s arms around his waist. It didn’t help him relax.

“That was probably the sappiest shit I’ve ever heard.” Karkat said softly, and Dave chuckled weakly, leaning his back into Karkat’s warm chest.

“I loved it.” Karkat kissed the soft spot under his boyfriend's ear and Dave felt like his knees could have gone out from under him.

Dave wiggled himself around so they were face to face, putting his arms around Karkat’s shoulders, Karkat's arms pulling him closer by his waist.

Karkat kissed him so gently Dave was shaking when he pulled back.

“Is that chocolate?” Karkat asked, knowing full well it was. Dave nodded weakly, his words evaporating in his mind before he had a chance to say them out loud.  “It’ll be there when I’m done with you.” Karkat said lowly, kissing Dave again.

Dave loved kissing him so much.


End file.
